Mirrors
by SilhouettesInDarkness
Summary: Going through a hard time Lucy meets a stranger called Ryuzaki. Things from there just get stranger.
1. chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my first Death Note story so be nice. Please read and review. It's how I update. That or follows or favorites because then I know people are interested in the story and I should continue.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but my OC

 **A/N:** If I have to I will put warnings before each chapter if it contains anything.

I will try keep L in character as much as I can but he needs to progress too to be able to achieve being with someone I think since he isn't too used to, or familiar, with touch and things.

 **Mirrors**

 **Chapter 1**

Never in all her 20 years of living did she think her life would come to this. Standing in the middle of the street, bags by her feet, getting drenched by the rain that was pouring from the sky violently.

Her mind couldn't process what had just happened. Her boyfriend of three years had kicked her out - effectively making her homeless. Bending down to pick up the two bags and swing them over her shoulder as she made her way down the street. She didn't know where she was going to go. She didn't know the place well.

Her boyfriend - now ex - was Japanese. They had met in England where they got together (her home). They were dating for two and a half years when he decided he wanted to be back at home, convincing her to come with him. And of course she was going to come with him - she loved him.

She had been living in Japan for around 5 months now but she still didn't know the place well. She was terrible with directions so she only knew certain places that were fairly close to her old home. She didn't know anyone who lived close by to let her stay with them.

Shivering she pulled her jacket tighter around her body. Why did he have to kick her out at night? When had he become so heartless? She didn't know how long she had been walking but she found herself in a very unfamiliar place. Sitting herself down on a wet bench exhaustion finally took over.

She couldn't stay out here all night - she would get ill. Pulling the phone out of her pocket she called the only person she could think of; Matsuda. He was one of her ex's friends but they had become pretty close on the times they had met and hung out with each other. It also helped he spoke English.

Sure he wasn't fluent in it but he spoke enough to get by. She had tried to learn Japanese but she found that she struggled with it, sadly. Finding his name she pressed the call button and waited. Groaning with frustration, nearly crying with it, when he didn't pick up she dropped her head into her hands.

She was utterly stranded.

So when her phone went off she jumped. Seeing the name, and number, a smile slipped onto her face whilst she answered eagerly. Explaining to him what had happened he immediately asked where she was so he could pick her up. Finding a sign to let him know she took a quick look around, finally spotting one.

Waiting for him was the hard part. It was deathly cold. Her teeth were chattering, her body was shaking with goosebumps covering every inch of her body and her lips were starting to turn blue. So seeing the car pull up in front of her was like a blessing.

Smiling gratefully as he cranked up the heat in the car she practically hugged herself trying to keep warm. "Why don't you have a bath when you get in? Warm yourself up." Her friend offered.

"Thank you." She breathed. The thought of a warm bath never felt so good to her before this moment. She was now even more impatient to arrive at his apartment. Pulling up Matsuda grabbed one of the girls bags before rushing to get inside. Unlocking his door he allowed her to enter first.

He was genuinely worried about her - she didn't look good. He couldn't get over what his friend had done to the poor girl. Who kicks someone out at night in the pouring rain when they have no where else to go?!

Ushering her towards the bathroom he left her to herself, dropping the bags into his spare room after she had grabbed what she needed. Turning the silver taps she watched as water started to fill up the bath. Closing her eyes in bliss as she felt the heat rise up and hit her directly on her neck and face.

Stripping from her wet clothes she sat on the edge of the bath. Deciding to enter now whilst it was still running as she knew how much it was going to burn her skin seeing how cold she was. Yelping, she yanked her feet out the water hissing in pain. Quickly turning the cold water tap she sunk her feet once more into the water - but right under the cold tap.

Once her feet were used to the temperature she turned off the cold tap. Wiggling her toes she smiled like a child. Finally the bath water was ready so she turned off the other tap.

Slowly sinking her body into the water her body tensed at the heat. It took some time but she was finally submerged entirely.

As she just laid there, letting the hot water do it's magic, she couldn't help but think about what just happened. Her boyfriend had kicked her onto the streets - after three years - because he found someone else.

Pushing her head under the water she tried to rid herself of these thoughts. She didn't want to think about it - it hurt too much. Sitting up once breathing had become more difficult she busied herself by grabbing the shampoo bottle.

In the kitchen her friend, Matsuda, was heating up some food for her in the microwave. He didn't know why she was being kicked out but he knew better then to ask, even if he was curious. It was too soon to start prying. He may be an idiot sometimes but he wasn't stupid.

After filling up the kettle he grabbed two mugs and placed them onto the counter. His mind was skipping between his friend, Lucy, and the new case he had started working on at work. The case was a baffling one he had to admit. People everywhere we dying of heart attacks.

Filling up the mugs with the hot water he heard the bathroom door open along with his name being called. "I'll be through in a moment. Make yourself at home!" He replied as he took a teaspoon to mix the liquid in the cups. Placing the spoon in the empty sink he picked up both cups and made his way back to his living room.

Lucy was sat on the couch in black sweats, a white tank top and a black jacket. Her wet hair had been pulled back into a bobble. Placing the steaming cup in front of her he was graced with a smile. Heading back to the kitchen he grabbed the food and a fork before heading back.

"Oh, thanks but you didn't have to." Lucy sighed when she saw. She didn't know how to thank him, how to show him she was truly grateful for all he had done. Matsuda simply waved a hand letting her know it was no problem at all. He liked to help others, especially his friends.

There was silence in the room as she ate but neither minded. Both had things occupying their brains.

Stealing glances at her it wasn't long til he looked back to find her passed out on his couch. Sighing softly he carefully picked her up and took her to the spare bedroom before heading to his own. Slipping under the sheets he felt himself fall into a deep slumber.

When he awoke the next morning he smelt a beautiful aroma of bacon when he left his room. When he entered the kitchen he saw Lucy in front of the cooker. "Oh, just in time!" She said cheerfully. He didn't know how she could be so cheerful after what had just happened but he kept his mouth shut.

"You made breakfast." He commented, sitting at the small table.

"And coffee."

"But you hate coffee."

"Okay, so I made you coffee and me tea." She amended with a roll of her eyes. She quickly plated up the food before placing it on the table. They ate in relative silence for the most part but Lucy finally broke that as she asked him how his work was going.

"It's fine. We started a new case."

"What's it about?" She asked, curious. He gave her a frown.

"You know I can't go into it."

"I know that." She said with a another roll of her eyes. "I meant give me the gist of it. Tell me what you can."

"Okay, um," He paused to take a bite out of his toast and take a sip of his coffee as he was thinking. "You know about Kira?"

"I think so... Oh! Yeah, I've heard of him. The one killing criminals right?" Lucy exclaimed. "Or so everyone says."

"Well that's my case." Matsuda deadpanned, finishing his coffee in one go. "I really need to get to work. I'll see you when I get back." And with that she was left alone. With nothing else to do she settled on cleaning the kitchen.

Sitting on the couch and watching TV was fine but she had literally spent the entire day doing that so when Matsuda came home she was very happy. Making them dinner was fine by her - finally she had something to do.

"So how long you been on this Kira case?" She asked.

"A while." He answered vaguely. That was fine by her, she knew he didn't like giving straight answers when work was concerned - well, most of the time.

"Anything interesting happen?"

"Well, I had my first Interpol meeting today." He divulged. That didn't give anything away did it!

"Anything happen there that was exciting or was it boring?" She questioned then took a bite out of her meal.

"Well, to be honest the first half was very boring." Matsuda admitted, not that he would tell his Chief that. "The second half went a lot better."

"How come?" It wouldn't be giving anything away by letting her know right? There was no harm in it really.

"Well, L has now got involved in the investigation." Lucy's eyes lit up like they always did when she thought she was going to hear something interesting. She didn't know who this 'L' character was but he must have been important.

"Who's that though?" She asked, leaning forwards.

"He's a private investigator I think. No one knows his real name, his where abouts or even what he looks like." He told her, remembering what the Chief told him. He smiled slightly at the curious, and eager, look in her eyes. "He can apparently solve any case no matter what it is. He has solved countless unsolved cases so far. Apparently he's meant to be our trump card."

"Wow, he must be amazing!" Lucy breathed. Call her weird but she had always been amazed by overly intelligent people. She didn't know how they stored so much information in their brains but it fascinated her so much.

"Apparently he'd already been investigating. Behind our backs."

"But how did you talk to him if he never shows himself?" Lucy asked with a cute confused expression setting over her face.

"There is a man called Watari who comes in on L's behalf." Matsuda explained. Despite the fact she wanted to she asked no more questions. She didn't want to seem nosey and put her friend under pressure. So they finished their meals swiftly and left the kitchen in complete darkness. She would clean the kitchen tomorrow.

The next day she found herself doing the same thing: stuck watching TV. Flipping the channels she stopped on the news. There was a man named Lind. L. Taylor sat at a desk but that's not what caught her attention - it was the fact he had said Kira. Turning up the volume she sat on the edge of the couch completely immersed by the TV set.

 _"Kira, I think I've got a pretty good idea of why you're doing this."_ The guy on the screen said. _"But what you are doing... Is evil!"_

Widening her eyes she shook her head. This dude seemed crazy, what was he doing! Gasping as he suddenly grabbed hold of his chest she realised he was having a heart attack. Was that natural or was it Kira? I mean he wasn't a criminal and that's all Kira went for apparently.

Suddenly a voice came over the screen as the man, who was now dead, was dragged away. The voice had clearly been distorted so you couldn't figure out their natural one. _"I don't believe it. This was an experiment to test a hunch I had. But I never really thought..."_

Listening the person waffle on Lucy was interested but she wasn't. The person was just talking too much. Yet when he started goading Kira her attention was brought back fast.

" _What are you waiting for? Come on! Go ahead and kill me. I'm still here. Can't do it Kira?"_ Lucy was thankful she was alone watching this right now because she looked like a complete idiot. Her jaw was hanging with her eyes wide as she stared at the screen.

After he snuck in the sneaky comment of this only been broadcasted in the Kanto region around Tokyo Lucy wondered if this really was the mysterious L. He seemed on point. I mean he had just found out where Kira actually was and he only really joined the case yesterday!

Just... Wow.

Then he started babbling on about who his first real victim was and Lucy was struck with such admiration it was unreal. God, what she wouldn't give to be that smart. Sitting back into the couch she switched off the TV once it was over. Once L had stopped showing off, she thought amused.

Shaking her head she was about to get up to start making something to eat when her phone started to play. Picking it up she froze. Seeing her ex's name displayed on the screen made her angry and hurt once more. Venomously pressing the end call button Lucy stormed to the kitchen.

A few hours later Matsuda made it home, exhausted. He could hear Lucy banging away in the kitchen making him frown. Why was she making all this noise? Making his way to the kitchen he started to hear her muttering things he couldn't quite catch.

"Are you alright?" He asked cautiously. He had seen her angry a few times and didn't ever want to be on the receiving end.

"I'm fine." She snapped. She was about to carrying on but she couldn't - she needed to apologise. "I'm sorry. You've been so kind to me I had no right to snap at you like that."

"Don't worry about it." He said, showing his good nature. "But, what's wrong if you don't mind me asking."

"HE called me earlier. I didn't pick up though." Making his way over to her he pulled her into a tight hug. Keeping her tears away she hugged him back with all she had.

"I'm going to head to bed. I'm tired." He told her softly. He felt her nod her head against his shoulder before he slowly pulled away. Giving her one last look he left. Sighing she looked at the mess she had made in the kitchen, groaning she started to clean.

It had been four days since L had screamed at Kira to kill him on the news and Lucy was starting to feel bad. She was taking up space in Matsuda's apartment and she was wasting his money. Her ex had never let her get a job as he felt as the man he should be the one to provide for them so she had no money whatsoever.

And living with Matsuda he was having to pay for her as well. It might take a while but she needed to find a job but... she didn't have much qualifications. She had her A Level in Performing Arts and her GCSE's but that was it. No work experience or anything.

She was useless.

She had tried to do more around the house since she wasn't paying for anything. She got up early to make breakfast for the both of them, then once Matsuda had left she would clean the kitchen, get dressed, clean anything else that needed to be cleaned - along with washing clothes - then she would watch TV until later on when she would make dinner for when Matsuda came home.

Either he would go straight to bed after or he would stay with her and talk until they were both tired and retired to their rooms.

But today would be different - she would go out and look for a job.

Slipping on her shoes Lucy left the apartment. Matsuda had given her his spare key on the second day so she was able to come and go but this was actually the first time she had left. She didn't really know the area so she decided to stick close by. Walking around she was happy to find some help wanted signs in the window.

They were in Japanese but from the limited set of the language that she knew she understood what the signs were saying.

Two hours later she exited a small shop dejected. The first place she had been had been a small corner shop but sadly the place had already been filled they just hadn't come round to taking the sign down. The second was a clothes shop and the person she had tried talking to spoke no English. The third was a food shop. They spoke some English but sadly she didn't get the job as they were already training someone.

They had taken her number just in case though. It seemed like that was how her day went leaving her feeling put down. Entering the apartment she dropped her bag down onto the couch before making her way to the kitchen. Time to start making dinner.

An hour later Matsuda returned home. He had noticed the shift in her attitude from the moment he came home, he just hadn't asked her what was wrong yet. Half way through the meal - which was amazing by the way - he decided to bring it up.

"I'm fine." she had said. He didn't believe her one bit.

"Come on, you can tell me."

"It's just," Letting out a sigh she put down her fork. "I feel bad living here and not paying for anything. I'm wasting your money. So I thought if I got a job I could help you out but well, no luck whatsoever." Matsuda gave her a small smile.

"It's okay." he said quietly, reaching over to grasp her small hand in his larger one. "Don't worry about it we'll sort something out."

It had been five days since the disastrous first day of the job hunt. Matsuda had called her ex to sort out collecting the rest of her stuff. That day was today. Matsuda had left to go to work an hour ago but had assured her the house would be empty for when she arrived to pick up her stuff.

Matsuda had given her some money to get a taxi there and back. They had a long argument before he went to work about it due to her feeling bad about taking his money. Exiting the taxi she jogged up to the house, collecting the hidden spare key before letting herself inside.

Heading to the bedroom she froze seeing some clothes obviously belonging to a woman scattered over the bedroom floor. Swallowing the rage, choking back the tears, she grabbed a spare bag before chucking the rest of her clothes into the bag - along with anything else she could find that belonged to her.

It took her only an hour and ten minutes to get her stuff. Grabbing her phone she called for another taxi, sitting on the steps outside as she waited. Pushing back all the memories she urged the taxi to hurry up inside her head.

Jumping up seeing the vehicle pull up she jumped inside. Handing him the right amount of money she flew from the taxi and up to the apartment dragging the bags behind her. She didn't realise how little she actually owned. It was mostly clothes.

Deciding to occupy her time she spent the rest of the night unpacking the rest of her things. Slipping into some black sweat pants after she flopped onto the couch with a heavy sigh. It was soon to be Christmas. She should really get Matsuda something to thank him for all he had done but... how?

She didn't have any money so she couldn't buy him anything! Flopping face first down on the couch Lucy let out a scream in frustration. Opening her eyes slowly a small smile started to form on her plump lips. She had an idea!

Jumping up feeling a lot better she decided to start preparing something for dinner. Wrapping up the food she carefully placed it in the fridge to keep fresh. After that Lucy found herself curled up on the couch with a book. She had her small book collection back so at least she had something else to do during the day except watch TV.

Matsuda didn't own one book, except maybe some comics. Stretching her arms Lucy checked the time. Holy - she had been reading for five hours. Jumping up she ran to the kitchen to start making dinner. Ten minutes later Matsuda called letting her know he was on his way home.

By the time he arrived she was still cooking. "Smells good." he commented as he walked inside.

"Thanks. It's going to be another half an hour though." Lucy told him. "Why don't you get a shower, change and get relaxed while I finish cooking?" Leaning over to give her a side hug he smiled.

"You're the best." Leaving her alone Lucy smiled as she turned down the heat on the cooker. Grabbing two plates she set them down on the counter before grabbing the cutlery and placing them on the table. Grabbing two glasses she filled them with some juice, placing them on the table next.

By the time she was plating up the food Matsuda entered the kitchen again but with damp hair and different clothes. Sitting down he grabbed his fork and dug right in. He was starving.

Both of them made small conversation as they ate before retiring to the living room to watch TV. It wasn't long after they had sat down that Matsuda felt a pressure on his right shoulder. Turning his head he let a soft smile grace his face. Lucy had fallen asleep.

Picking her up he made his way to her room, careful not to wake her up as he placed her down. Brushing the hair away from her eyes he pulled the duvet over her before making his way out to his own, shutting the door behind him emerging her in darkness.

The next morning Lucy awoke with a groan. Stretching her arms with a yawn she slowly sat up. Pushing the duvet away from her body she made her way to the window, letting out a horrified groan when she saw the layer of snow on the ground below. It was only a light layer but still, she wasn't that fond of snow.

Moving to the bathroom she jumped into the shower for a quick wash. Back in her room Lucy pulled on some leggings that had fur on the inside to keep her legs warm. Then she pulled on a long sleeved black top. Drying her hair she pulled it into a high ponytail afterwards, leaving her makeup.

Grabbing everything she needed she slipped on some boots, her coat and a scarf before leaving the apartment. Walking down the street she was careful as she walked incase she slipped. She didn't have the best balance.

Stopping outside the destined shop Lucy paused. Biting her lip she seemed to be hesitating to go inside. Taking a deep breath she entered the pawn shop with a beating heart. An hour later Lucy found herself sat inside a small café. The atmosphere was warm and relaxing, something she appreciated.

Smiling and thanking the cute waiter who placed her cake and tea down in front of her she grabbed her fork. Taking her first bite was amazing - the cake was beautiful. Just as she grabbed her cup of tea a shadow fell over her. Looking up she saw a young man standing next to her table.

"Can I sit?" he asked quietly. Mutely nodding her head she watched as he sat down opposite her, frowning at the way he decided to sit. He had brought his knees up his chest with hands draped over his knees and his body tilted forward slightly. That couldn't be good for his posture, his back.

She didn't know why but Lucy's eyes were drawn to his messy black hair. It was sticking out in every direction but it surprisingly looked soft. Her hand twitched in her effort to not reach over and touch it. Going back to her cake for a distraction she took another bite.

The guy who had brought Lucy her order came back over with the strangers order. She noticed him give her a quick smile before he left. She didn't really pay much attention though because she was more focused on the messy haired strangers order.

He had a cup of tea, 3 slices of cake, a cookie and muffin. Was he really going to eat all that? How? Lucy couldn't even eat a slice and a half of cake before feeling full. Neither of them said anything whilst they ate. Lucy pushed her plate away when she was done, focusing on her tea.

She had been trying to keep her gaze from this man but she couldn't help it. Looking up she found he was already looking at her. Widening her eyes in shock her eyes dropped to her tea.

"Where is it?" he asked. His voice was low and deep. It was sort of detached as though he wasn't used to speaking with people. Lifting her head in confusion she stared at him for a couple of seconds before replying.

Watching as he picked up his fork with his thumb and forefinger she finally spoke, but was curious about the way he held it. "Where is what?"

"The necklace." he answered straight away. Gaping slightly she laughed awkwardly.

"I don't know what you mean."

"You keep bringing your hand up to your throat." He had looked at her intently as he said this, Lucy's breath catching in her throat at the intensity of his stare. He then dropped his eyes to his cake. "It's indicating that you usually wear a necklace but you aren't wearing one right now. So, where is it?"

Lucy didn't know whether to be impressed or shocked. "I don't have it anymore." she answered vaguely.

"Obviously." Snapping her gaze to the man she frowned. She didn't think he meant it in a rude way, it was just the way he said it. With a final sigh she decided to tell him. What was the harm? She was never going to see him again.

"I sold it." His head tilted to the side, something which she found admittedly cute. "I don't have a job and my ex boyfriend just kicked me out so I'm staying with a friend. I can't help him with bills and I wanted to thank him for everything he has done with me. I had this necklace, given to me by my ex, pure gold. So I decided to sell it so I could buy my friend a Christmas present."

The stranger didn't say anything right away. It was like he was gauging her facial expressions. Slowly she watched as he pushed a plate towards her. It had a piece of chocolate cake on it. Was he giving her this? Finally asking him this he told her he was.

"Oh, I won't be able to finish this." The cute stranger grabbed one of his empty plates, cutting the cake in half before putting the bigger half onto the other plate. He pushed the smaller half back towards her. "Thank you."

It was about ten seconds before he spoke. "You're welcome." Scooping a slice of cake onto her fork she took a bite, smiling internally. A while later she finally exited the small café, the man walking behind her. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

"Yes, nice meeting you." His stance was hunched yet he was still taller than her. He turned around to walk away but Lucy's hand shot out to grab his arm. She watched as his head snap to her arm with a frown causing her to quickly let go.

"Um, I'm Lucy. I didn't get your name." He seemed to still be looking at his arm where she had grabbed him. Finally he raised his head.

"Call me Ryuzaki."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It had been two days since Lucy had met that stranger - Ryuzaki - and for some reason she found her mind wandering off to him: a lot.

She had bought wrapping paper and had wrapped Matsuda's present up in shiny purple paper which was now sat under her bed. Her ex had called yesterday which was why she was still in a bad mood today.

She didn't know why she had picked up the phone but she had. She wanted to know why he was calling, what he could have possibly wanted to say to her. It ended in a shouting match, her hanging up the phone on him before she started to cry.

That was when Ryuzaki had popped into her head - mid cry. She didn't know why he did but he did. She just started thinking about everything to do with him. His hair, his eyes that held such wisdom, the way he sat and stood hunched over, the way he spoke - the detached tone that lingered - yet held an authoritive sound to it.

Everything about him seemed to be a mystery. He didn't look much older then herself - maybe 24, 25 years old. She was also jealous in the fact that if he ate like he did in the café all the time then he was clearly one of those lucky few who just didn't put on weight.

She had tried denying it to herself but couldn't any longer. This man had caught her attention in ways she never wanted to. She would never see him again, probably, and that upset her.

Suddenly her thoughts were being interrupted by a loud voice. Matsuda. Going over the usual chit chat 'How was work?' 'How was your day?' she finished off that evenings dinner. Afterwards they found themselves sat in the sitting room watching TV. Well it was on in the background as the two friends decided to chat.

Lying that night in bed she started thinking about that phone call once more before her thoughts drifted back to the messy haired stranger. Letting out a frustrated yell into her pillow she turned around and fought to fall asleep.

It had been a few days, now the 20th of December, and Lucy looked around the apartment with a frown. There were no decorations up inside, something that she didn't mind but she did. It would have given her something to do at least.

Grabbing the new laptop that she had recently bought - thanks to the necklace - she sat down on the couch. She hadn't realised just how much that necklace was worth, always wondering how he had managed to buy it in the first place.

Matsuda hadn't been happy when he found out she had been selling her stuff but did eventually take some of the money she practically threw at his face. Okay, so she did throw it at his face and then promptly locked herself in the bathroom, refusing to leave unless he accepted it. Four hours later she finally left feeling satisfied.

Checking her e-mail she stopped completely. Opening up a new e-mail - one she didn't recognise - a small smile started to form on her lips. It was Ryuzaki. Lucy didn't know how he had gotten her e-mail but he did seem incredibly smart. The smartest person she had ever met in her life if she was honest. So maybe he knew how to hack or whatever.

Shrugging, she honestly didn't care, she opened it up.

' _Lucy Dawson'_

Lucy frowned. She didn't remember telling him her last name. Still with that frown marring her face she continued to read.

' _I would like to apologize if my behaviour seemed off to you. I am not used to being around people. I just wanted to let you know you left something behind and I would be willing to give you it back. All I would need is your address. If you are not willing please delete this e-mail. If you are reply with your address and then delete this e-mail._ _Much appreciated,_ _Ryuzaki.'_

Lucy re-read it three times to make sure she had read it right. She didn't think she had left anything behind, in fact she was sure she hadn't so why did he say she had? She didn't know what to do. Yes she was interested in the stranger, she could admit that but to just give out her address - not even her own address - was preposterous.

She decided to reply to the message to let him know why she couldn't give out that small detail. Looking it over when she was done she frowned. She had obviously mentioned Matsuda but she had said his full name. Oh well, not like it mattered. Following through with his request she deleted the e-mail.

By the time Matsuda had arrived home Lucy hadn't even started dinner. Getting slightly annoyed at her constant apologies Matsuda grabbed her by the arms. "Lucy, it's alright. Stop saying sorry." And then he promptly ordered a take away.

Two days later Lucy jumped as she was watching TV by a knock on the door. Getting off the couch with a sigh she shuffled to the door, opening it to see the mail man with a parcel in his hands. Signing for it she gave him a quick smile before shutting the door.

She was extremely curious as it had her name on the top. Who could it be from? Only two people knew she lived here. Her ex and Ryuzaki. Well Ryuzaki didn't actually know she lived here. All he knew was who she lived with. So it must be from her ex... Unless Matsuda had ordered her something. But, it would probably come in under his name.

Shrugging she decided to open it.

Inside was a white box with a note attached to the top. Sliding the small card away from the box she looked at it. The writing was small and neat. The words written were simple yet confusing. It wasn't until she opened up the box did she understand the meaning of the note and who sent it. But why would he do it?

' _A simple replacement'_

Inside the box was a beautiful necklace. It was simple in design. The chain was silver and attached to it was the letter L with what she hoped weren't real diamonds adorning the inside.

The smile seemed like it was stuck to her face as she admired it. Slipping it around her neck her fingers gently stroked it. The smile dropped off her face when she realised that man somehow knew her address.

Trying to shake off the weird vibes Lucy assured herself he must know Matsuda and that was how he knew. She would have to ask him when he got home. The first thing he did when he entered the house was ask her about the necklace. He had never seen her wear that before.

"A friend gave it to me." She told him nervously. "Maybe you know him."

"What's his name?"

"Ryuzaki."

"Never heard of him. Sorry."

With a frown Lucy grabbed her laptop, flopping on the couch trying to get the weird feelings to go away. It was okay, he isn't a stalker! Calm down! Not noticing his friends inner turmoil he went for a bath, leaving her alone. She was getting sick of always being on her own.

It was Christmas Eve and Lucy found herself walking down the street on her own. It was quite late at night so there weren't many people out now. Honestly, she had been walking for about an hour and seen two people.

Just as she was about to turn around and head back Lucy heard a crash. It sounded like someone had fallen over a bunch of glass bottles. She heard a man's voice grumbling. Just as she was about to turn around and speed walk home someone came stumbling out of the alleyway.

Her ex boyfriend.

Her jaw dropped in disbelief. He wasn't a drinker so to see him stumbling, drunk, was a shock. Suddenly his head snapped to the side, noticing her. Shouting her name he started to make his way towards her. Not wanting to deal with it she quickly turned and walked away.

A couple of seconds later she felt a hard grip on her arm making her wince. "Why are you walking away from me?" He slurred.

"I'm going home." She ground out.

"You're home is in the opposite direction love."

"It used to be." She snapped, trying to yank her arm back but to no avail. "Let me go!"

"Why have you been ignoring me?" He asked, stepping closer to her. Lucy could smell the alcohol on his breath causing her to gag.

"Maybe because you cheated on me and made me homeless!" She yelled, not caring if someone heard her.

"Baby, don't be like that. I love you. I want you back. I miss you." He seemed to be stumbling over his words but Lucy just scoffed at them.

"What bullshit." She wanted to believe them. It would have made everything so much easier but she couldn't. "You have your precious new girlfriend remember?" She finally managed to get her arm free causing him to stumble backwards.

"No!" He exclaimed, grabbing her by both arms this time. "She left me."

"Oh, so that's why you want me back is it?" She snapped, anger welling up inside of her. "I'm not your back up plan!"

"Why don't you stop talking to me like this!" He snapped back. Struggling to get free he pushed her into a wall, pushing his body against hers. "Stop moving!"

"No!" Without any hesitation he pulled his arm back and slapped her swiftly across the face. Crying out she looked at him in shock and slight fear. He had never hit her before. Was this the drinks doing?

"You've been mine for three years -" she cut him off before he could go any further.

"Yeah, well not anymore." Bringing her knee up she hit him directly between the legs, watching with smug satisfaction as he dropped to the floor gasping in pain. Turning round she ran back home.

Matsuda flinched when he heard the door slam shut. Jumping out of bed he ran to the main room where he found Lucy crumpled on the floor looking disheveled. Kneeling in front of her he tilted her head to look at him, gasping when he saw the light bruise forming on her cheekbone.

"What happened?" It took some time but when she finally calmed down Lucy told him what happened. Sipping on the tea her made her she kept replaying the scene in her head. She had never seen him like that before. It was strange.

Finally laid in bed she closed her eyes tightly, trying to rid herself of that memory and go to sleep.

The next morning she found herself checking the time only to see she had slept in. So she was surprised to see Matsuda sat on the couch when she left her room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked through a yawn.

"Day off." Nodding her head slowly she made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea to help wake her up. About an hour later it only seemed to sink in what day it was. Jumping up she ran to her room to grab the present she had bought earlier.

Slipping onto the couch next to him she placed the purple shaped box onto his lap. He didn't say anything he just looked at her before opening it. "I know you don't read a lot but I know this is your favourite comic. You kept going on about it and I needed a way to shut you up."

"This is has every single one." Matsuda exclaimed. Lucy simply shrugged before being pulled into a tight embrace. Laughing at his enthusiasm she hugged him back, just happy to see him smiling. Since it was his day off they decided to spend the entire day chilling watching movies with junk food.

By the time night fell they had both passed out on the couch, Matsuda letting out very light snores.

Lucy was surprised the next day when she had gotten another e-mail from Ryuzaki. She thanked him for the gift. Over the next couple of days she spoke to him through e-mail, always deleting them afterwards as his request. She had mentioned to him how she felt about living with Matsuda.

Not that she didn't like it but she didn't want to keep being a burden. She wanted go find a job so she could hopefully get her own place.

Ryuzaki's replies were always strange yet Lucy found some amusement in them. She didn't know why. Currently she was sat on the couch feeling alone. She had gotten word from Matsuda that work was keeping him late tonight. It was December 31st.

Looking out the window into the night sky she closed her eyes. It was almost midnight. She needed to think about what her new year's resolutions were going to be. Opening her eyes with a scoff she glared out the window. She didn't know why she bothered.

She was weak willed. She never stuck to them. Why did she even need to have one? There wasn't a law on it was there? Getting up from her spot she stomped to her room, slamming the door behind her.

Matsuda opened his front door feeling overwhelmed. He had met L tonight. If that wasn't strange in itself the conversation he had with the man was. He wasn't what Matsuda was expecting - probably an older man not someone around his age.

After going through a lot of data on the Kira case L had wanted to speak to everyone individually to make sure they weren't Kira. He had tried to concentrate but half way through the meeting when L had told everyone to call him Ryuzaki he stopped.

Lucy had asked him days earlier about a man called Ryuzaki but it couldn't have been the same person. How wrong he was. During his 'interrogation' L - or Ryuzaki - had actually brought up Lucy.

He was shocked at what L had offered, and a little bit suspicious.

Making his way to his friends room he knocked on the door. He didn't know if she was asleep or not. He found out ten seconds later when the door swung wide open.

"Hey, I um, need to talk to you." He told her nervously. Tilting her head to the side she opened the door wider so he could enter. Once they were both sat upon her bed he started talking. "You know how you mentioned a Ryuzaki to me at one point?" Lucy simply nodded. "Well I met him today."

"How?"

"Through work."

"Please don't tell me he was being arrested or something." Lucy cringed. That would be just her luck.

"No, no. Nothing like that. Look, what I am going to tell you might be hard to believe but just... Trust me okay?"

"Of course."

"And you can't tell anyone. It must be kept a secret."

"I promise." Lucy said with a sigh. "Now get on with it."

"Ryuzaki is... L." When Lucy didnt reply he quickly went on talking. "You remember I told you about him."

"I... Remember." She breathed. She didn't want to believe it - because that meant he lied to her - but it fit. The guy was extremely intelligent. Picked things up easy. Had she really met L?

"There's more." Matsuda said, snapping her out of his thoughts. "He decided since I was working on the Kira case it would be best if maybe you... Moved into the hotel."

"What hotel!"

"The one he is staying at. Because we are all going to be there and you will be on your own here it didn't seem practical. He said there was another reason too but he didn't tell me." Lucy frowned. Another reason?

If it was true then everything she had told Ryuzaki she had told L - including her not wanting to bother Matsuda anymore. Was that the other reason?

"What do you think I should do?" She asked softly.

"Whatever you think is right." He replied, grabbing her hand. She gave it a tight squeeze.

"I should start packing then shouldn't I?"

It was around 5pm when Lucy and Matsuda headed out. Sitting nervously in the passenger seat Lucy kept fidgeting. She didn't know why she was nervous as she had already met the man before but, maybe it was because now she knew he was L. This top investigator who was meant to be smarter then most men.

A man who she had thought was someone else and had told things to. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye Matsuda sighed. He could tell she was nervous - it wasn't that hard to figure out but he wishes she would stop bouncing her knee up and down. It was getting on his nerves.

Finally pulling up outside the hotel the two exited the car, grabbing Lucy's things before heading inside the building. There were a few security measures that Lucy just blinked at and finally they were stood in front of a door. Raising his hand Matsuda gave a quick knock.

The door opened to reveal an old man with warm eyes. "Welcome back." he said, aiming it at Matsuda. Lucy shuffled nervously from one foot to the other causing the stranger to shift his eyes to her. "Miss Dawson, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you to... um..."

"Watari." he told her.

"Nice to meet you Watari." Lucy finally said, still feeling awkward. He stepped aside to allow them entrance before telling Matsuda the others were in the main room. Lucy just stood there.

"Why don't I show you to your room?" the man offered. Lucy simply nodded her head, allowing her to direct her and help with a couple of her bags. "Ryuzaki does like to move hotels every couple of days for security reasons. Just so you're aware." Grimacing at the thought she kept silent. She didn't want to keep moving all the time - it would getting annoying, fast.

Finally stopping at a door Watari let himself in, placing the bags on the floor. Lucy just stared. The room was amazing. And big. Putting her bags down too she stepped further into the room. For some reason the older man seemed to stay a little bit longer, constantly asking her what food she liked to eat.

"Ryuzaki doesn't eat proper meals." he told her. "It will be nice to cook a true meal for more then just myself." Giving him a smile she started to list off different meals she liked. He left soon after so Lucy decided to explore her room a little bit more. Gasping as she entered the bathroom Lucy swore she fell in love with the bath tub. It was huge!

Promising herself that she would have a relaxing bubble bath tonight she turned around, grabbing her bags to drag them to her bedroom. She was feeling a lot better about moving in here now. Then again, who wouldn't? This place was amazing!

Checking the time she realised she had been in there for over an hour. Finally deciding to leave the confines of her room she cautiously walked down the hall and back to where Matsuda had left her. She didn't want to walk into the room everyone was in as they were probably working. She didn't want to interrupt.

Suddenly Watari came out of that room giving her a slight shocked look. As though he expected her to still be in her room. "I was bored." Giving her a small smile he ushered her into the kitchen. She had some how been dragged into making tea and coffee for the others.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice elevated slightly. Watari glanced up to see her shocked expression, smiling slightly in amusement. He had been filling up a cup of sugar cubes and placing it on the tray. It seemed normal but the rest of the cups had been filled with sugar for the ones who wanted it so why did he need that?

"Ryuzaki likes sugar." was his simple answer. Frowning she picked up the tray and followed him to the main room where everyone was situated. Feeling slightly awkward she quickly set the tray down so people could grab their drinks.

She passed Matsuda his coffee as she knew how he took his. He gave her a small smile in return. She could sense all the curious glances been thrown her way and it made her uncomfortable. "It's nice of you to join us." Turning slowly as she heard his voice their eyes locked. With not knowing what to say she nodded her head, her eyes dropping to the floor.

Seeing Watari leaving the room she quickly followed after him heading back to the kitchen. "Are you hungry?" Watari asked. Lucy eagerly nodded her head like a small child causing him to laugh. "Could you give this to Ryuzaki while I make us both some food?" Gulping she grabbed the plate that had a slice of strawberry cake on it.

"Sure. No problem." She grabbed a fork and left. Rolling her eyes at herself she pushed the door that she had been staring at the past 15 seconds open. Walking inside she headed over to Ryuzaki or L. Whatever he wanted to be called.

Placing the plate on the table in front of him his head snapped up. "Thank you." Licking her lips she nodded her head.

"You're welcome." His head snapped back down to the file he was currently looking at. He was sat in that weird position again she noted. Just as she left the room she noticed him pick up the fork in that weird way of his being scooping up a bit of cake, plopping it into his mouth.

She didn't know why she was blushing. Maybe it was the way she had stated at his mouth when he ate. Shaking her head vigorously she went back to the kitchen, again. Watari had finished making them a sandwich. Sitting down at the table with him to eat she found the old man easy to get on with.

He was very easy to talk to. At some point he left claiming he had things to do which left Lucy on her own. With a sigh she stood up, deciding to take that bubble bath now.

Wrapping a towel around her body Lucy grabbed her hair dryer. After that she slipped on some yoga pants and a baggy jumper, pulling her hair into a bobble. Leaving the room for something to eat she entered the kitchen, grabbing some grapes from the fridge.

Pausing, she frowned. She suddenly felt rude. Lucy knew she was now living here but was she allowed to just head into the kitchen to get food. Shrugging she shut the fridge door. She would find either Watari or L and ask.

Carefully opening the main door she found it to be empty apart from L. Where was everyone? "They've gone home." Jumping she turned to look at the messy haired man who was still sat strangely on the couch.

"What? I didn't-"

"I could see it on your face." At this point in time he wasn't even looking at her.

"Right well, I just came to ask if I was allowed any of these." She held up the grapes. He raised his head giving her a blank look.

"You live here now so I do not see why you are asking this question." Frowning she decided not to question it any further. Plopping herself down on a couch opposite him she started to pick off grapes and plop them into her mouth.

"So, thanks for lying to me." she remarked. She noticed her didn't even look up or pause what he was doing.

"It was necessary."

Huffing she continued to eat her grapes. "Why did you really invite me to move in here?" Finally he did something. He moved the file to rest on the arm of the couch before placing his hands on his knees. Then he looked right at her.

"I thought that was obvious." he stated. Giving him a blank look she slowly shook her head. Okay so it was but she wanted to see what he was going to say. "You told me you did not want to live with your friend no more. There is plenty of room here and you will see him plenty."

Even though that was true she felt like there was more to it but he was holding back. "I told Ryuzaki that - not you."

"I am Ryuzaki." Silence embraced them tightly. So tightly Lucy didn't know if she could breathe. There was definitely something about that man, she thought. She didn't want to start comparing him with her ex but she found herself doing just that.

Awkwardly clearing her throat she stood up. "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Well good then." L said to her, picking the file back up before going back to studying it. Lucy looked at him for a few seconds before finally making her way out of the room. When she did she took a deep breath. It was like she was drowning back in that room. She didn't want to think too much on the contexts of that.

She had recently broken up from a long term relationship. It was wrong to be attracted to someone else so soon wasn't it? Closing her eyes for a quick second she rushed to her room, jumping on the bed in despair.

 **Thanks to those who followed or favourited this story and to kiwi-chan for reviewing.**


	3. Chapter 3

**As Darkness Takes Over:** I wouldn't say it's anything major right now because as you pointed out they have had little interaction. It's more of a crush right now simply based on the fact that she finds him interesting as he is different and she likes intelligent men. Also with the break up its also a slight distraction for her instead of focusing on her hurt feelings.

 **Leia-san:** Thanks for the review and I'm glad you're liking the story so far!

 **Kiwi-chan:** Yes she does but it isn't anything too major just yet and thanks for reviewing!

 **Chapter** **3**

The next day Lucy found herself sat in the kitchen talking with Watari. He was such a lovely man. She had found that the group of police members were called the Task Force - Matsuda hadn't told her this. He had told her a few things but nothing too detailed since she wasn't really part of it and it was classified information.

She found out why L was calling himself by another name. Watari only told her this so she could keep herself safe. Kira apparently needed a name to kill someone so he had given himself another name for protection. She didn't feel as upset for him lying to her now that she knew this.

She didn't know why but she found herself watching L throughout the day. He certainly was something else. He did things most people wouldn't do. Lucy noticed Matsuda seemed torn between looking at L with reverence and awe or with slight confusion.

She had been allowed to sit in with their meetings despite the protest of some of the others. L had clearly stated in a very monotone voice that it didn't even matter. "She will not be leaving this hotel without the company of either Watari or one of you so it will not cause any problems."

She didn't like the fact of not being allowed to come and go when she pleased but she did understand. L had also pointed out that she wasn't safe.

"I'm sure Kira isn't on the look out for me." She laughed. "So I don't see how you came to that conclusion."

"I came to that conclusion when I spotted the bruise on your cheek." He remarked. Lucy had simply stared at him. "Which indicates either you fell or were attacked and from the placing and shape I would conclude you were attacked." With that he didn't say anything else leaving Lucy feeling a little put out.

Slipping quietly into the room, Watari wasn't anywhere to be found and she was getting lonely, she saw everyone getting on with individual work occasionally turning to one another to ask them a question or to compare something.

Lucy noted that L seemed further away from the group so she made up her mind. Walking over to him she settled herself down next to him on the two seater couch. "Um, Ryuzaki?" She kept her voice low.

There wasn't much noise in the room to start with and she didn't want to be the one to break it. He turned his head slightly to look at her with his big eyes. Seeing the go ahead she cleared her throat slightly. "I wanted to say thank you. For the necklace."

He didn't give her a verbal response but she did she his lips quirk at the side slightly. Smiling back she leaned over pressing a simple kiss to his cheek before leaving, not noticing the slight wide eyed look he sent after her.

Going back to her room she grabbed her laptop and sat down on the very comfy bed. She logged in and decided to play some music to fill the empty room. With nothing to do her mind started to wonder to places she didn't like to go to anymore.

 ** _Three years earlier_**

 ** _"Stupid god damn bag!" Lucy cursed under her breath. She needed to buy a new one soon, the stitching was wearing away and it was only a matter of time before it snapped completely._**

 ** _Turning the corner she wasn't aware of the man before her causing her to run right into him._ _Stumbling_ _backwards she tightened her grip on her bag which pulled at the seams. Watching in horror and humiliation as her bag fell to the floor along with all her things inside._**

 ** _Scrambling to the floor she hurriedly started to grab her things, shoving them back inside the bag._ _"Here." She heard a voice say. She saw the man kneel down next to her and start picking things up. She kept her gaze to the floor as she took the items from his hands._**

 ** _Once she was back on her feet she settled her nerves and took her first glimpse of the man._ _It_ _wasn't hard to see he was Japanese. She didn't want to sound racist but she had only ever been attracted to white men so she was rather surprised by herself when she found herself rather attracted to the man._**

 ** _He_ _had given her a warm pleasant smile that lit up his brown eyes. "I'm sorry about your bag."_**

 ** _"Oh, it's fine." She laughed airily, waving her hand as though she didn't care when in reality she did._**

 ** _"I need to make it up to you." He said. Lucy opened her mouth but nothing came out. Closing it she took a deep breath as she shook her head. "Yes I do." There was laughter in his eyes now._**

 ** _"No, I can't let you do that." She mumbled. Yes, he was definitely laughing at her._**

 ** _"I won't take no for an answer." He said with determination. "So come on." Snapping her head back up to his she gave him a wide eyed look. He was holding out his arm as though she was meant to take it._**

 ** _Should_ _she? I mean she didn't know that man. Yet, she couldn't help feel comfortable around him. He had such warm eyes and a pleasant smile. So ignoring her better judgement she took his arm letting him drag her down the street._**

After that day they had spent the next couple of weeks texting and calling each other before he finally asked her out. She didn't understand how he could turn from such a charming young man that doted on her into this cold person.

She was snapped out of her reverie when a sharp knock came to her door. Shouting entrance the door slowly opened to reveal Watari with a silver tray in his hands.

"I brought you something to eat." He stated, placing it down on the coffee table.

"What time is it?" Lucy asked as she got off the bed.

"It is half past 4." Lucy's eyes widened. Just how long had she been in her room? A couple of hours at least. Thanking him for the food she watched as he left, after he claimed he would be back soon to collect the hopefully empty tray.

Sitting down on the couch she pulled the tray closer to her, closing her eyes as the delicious smell hit her nose. It didn't take long to finish it off as she had turned out to be absolutely starving. Instead of making Watari clean up after her she grabbed the tray and left her room, deciding to do it herself.

Entering the kitchen she set out to clean her dishes. As she was drying them someone had entered. Turning her head slightly she paused seeing it was L. Clearing her throat slightly she went back to drying her bowl.

She watched slyly as he made his way to the fridge which was pretty much next to the sink. She she was rather close to him. Opening the fridge she watched him pull out some cake. Was that all he ate? Now she was really envious of his ability to not put on weight. Maybe he secretly worked out?

Shutting the fridge he turned his head and simply stared at her. Moving slowly towards her he stopped when he was stood directly in front of her. Gulping at his closeness Lucy didn't know what to do. Her lips parted slightly as he raised his hand and plucked the fork (that she had picked up to dry) out of her own hand.

Scooping up a piece of cake he popped it into his mouth, a small smile etching it's way onto his face. "Thank you." It took her a second to figure out what he meant. He was thanking her for the fork. "And you're welcome." With that he turned and left leaving her alone in the kitchen. Only when she was alone did she understand.

He had used the fork to point at her. Looking down she was wearing the L necklace he had given her and for some reason she started to blush. Touching her hands to her cheeks she could literally feel the heat coming from them.

Not knowing what to do she practically ran back to her room.

About an hour and a half later there came another knock upon her door. With a groan she got off her bed to answer it. This time it was Matsuda. "Hey, I'm heading home so I wanted to say goodbye." He told her.

Moving forward she brought him into a hug. She was going to miss living with him. She wouldn't miss being alone throughout the day but she would miss the nightly talks they had. Sure she would see him here but it wasn't the same. When he was here he was working. She couldn't just disturb him when working so they could chat.

Maybe some days she could stay at his? Hmm, would have to ask if that was allowed. L seemed to have rules about everything. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Uh, no you won't." Matsuda replied, scratching the back of his head. Lucy looked at him confused. "Tomorrow I'm back at the station. You know, answering calls and what not."

"Oh, that's sounds boring." She remarked.

"It is but L wants one person stationed there everyday so we take turns." Shrugging she gave him another hug before he left. Great, so the one person she truly knew wasn't even going to be here tomorrow. Well this sucked.

By now it was about 6:50pm and Lucy was really bored. Slipping into something more comfortable she left the room. There were still some people left but not many. And in the next hour they had all left. Lucy casually plopped down on one of the couches opposite the man genius.

She tried to keep herself relaxed but she was finding it hard. L was hard to work around. He didn't show emotions like a normal person, he acted different, he spoke different and well, he thought differently but she was chalking that up to being more intelligent. He had a lot more to think about. Probably. His thought process was probably different.

She didn't know how to just sit down and have a normal conversation with this man and it didn't help he was always working. I mean, she respected the guy for being so determined and that he never gave up but it wasn't healthy.

Watari had told her that the man rarely slept which really wasn't good at all. She had went through a period of insomnia and she really didn't want to go back there. Watari claimed L didn't need as much sleep though. That he had been this way for years and nothing bad had happened but still.

She... Liked him. It was only natural for her to be concerned. She liked looking after people she cared about and she was for damn certain she was going to do it to him. He needed it. He looked like he needed someone to take care of him.

Sure Watari took care of him. He made sure the man ate and stuff but he was eating sweets all the time. That couldn't be a good diet even if he didn't put on weight. He needed more care and as she looked at him, watched as his eyes skimmed over something on a white piece of paper she told herself she would be the one to do it. She needed a distraction.

And do it she would.


End file.
